How to delete your Twitter account

How to delete your Twitter account

Anyone who doesn't live under a rock has heard of the infamous Twitter takeover spearheaded by tech mogul Elon Musk. For the large part, the world is split between passionate Musk fans in support of the idea and those who are absolutely horrified at the notion of him owning it. If you're not keen on the idea of Musk taking the social media platform private, you can delete your Twitter account following these simple instructions. Our guide includes steps for Android and desktop users. 

How to delete your Twitter account on Android

1. Open Twitter on your phone.

2. Tap on your profile picture in the top left corner.

3. Select Settings and privacy.

4. Tap on Your account.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

5. Choose Deactivate Account.

6. Carefully read the information given and tap Deactivate.

7. Enter your Twitter account password and select Deactivate again.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

If you're not on your phone at the time, you can always achieve the same result from your computer. The following set of instructions walks you through the steps to deactivate and effectively delete your Twitter account on desktop.

How to delete your Twitter account on desktop

1. Go to twitter.com on your computer.

2. Click on More in the left-hand sidebar.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

3. Select Settings and privacy.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

4. Click on Deactivate your account under Your Account.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

5. Read the information given and click on Deactivate.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

6. Enter your Twitter account password and hit the Deactivate button.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

Deactivation is the first step toward deleting your Twitter account completely. You get a month's grace period after that to reverse your decision. As a safety mechanism, your Twitter account is erased only after that time concludes.

Things to know before deleting or deactivating Twitter

Once you have hit that deactivate button, Twitter will give you exactly 30 days to walk back on your decision. Should you choose to reactivate your profile, you will only be able to do so in that time frame. After the stipulated 30-day deadline is up, all your account information, data, and profile will be gone from the popular social media platform forever.

Considering that bit of information, it's a good idea to download a copy of your Twitter data before jumping the gun. After all, you never know what you may need in the future until it's too late. This process also takes a bit of time, so you'd better do it before you've taken any irreversible steps.

Apart from saving a copy of all your data on Twitter, there's another preemptive measure to be taken by you. Be sure to change your Twitter username or email address before initiating the deletion process. This enables you to use the same name and email address again if you decide to rejoin Twitter with your old credentials later on.